The Day They Knocked the Grand Theater
Down
By Robin Lee Shelby
The old gray lady had its day
When movies were a joy
And the kids were there on the weekend
To watch Hoppy, Gene, Tex and Roy
With all its many wonders
Television came on the scene
And fewer people came to see
New movies on the screen
Despite the tricks and spectacles
That Hollywood
tried over time
The old downtown theaters
Continued their decline
Large cinemas were built
In sprawling shopping malls
Multiple screens had they
To accommodate one and all
The old movie houses languished
And eventually fell into ruin
Such as the old Grand Theater
In the town where I was born
The final edict came one day
In a meeting at city hall
The council made the decision
That the Grand Theater must fall
There was a crowd assembled
The day it was to fall
Then the wrecking ball swing
Against the western wall
The brick and mortar flew
Raising a bit of dust
Each of us who saw it
Felt a sharp pain in the gut
Some had to turn away
And others gazed on in silence
As the ball continued
To demolish the movie palace
Where once the grand old lady stood
Rubble was piled in a hump
Soon to be hauled away
Like garbage to a dump
I stood there with a tear in my eye
To see it finally done
But the greatest indignity was
A parking lot it would become
